Rino's Analysis of Presidential Debate #1

On Economy:

• Current economic mess is beyond the capabilities of these two men. Obama showed his inexperience and lack of knowledge on the issue by failing to propose a reasonable solution or even a path to a solution to the financial crisis. McCain has no idea what is going on in the financial world and he came in unprepared as he failed to answer the question that had to be readdressed three times. Obama managed to come up over McCain on this subject simply by attacking the Bush administration near the end of the segment.

On War (Iraq & Afghanistan):

• McCain had no way to defend himself and President Bush on this subject. His defensive efforts to make time pass by telling individual stories was sad. Obama managed to attack the opposition enough to win this segment as well. Granted, any qualifying member opposite of Bush would have done well here, but a win is a win.

On Foreign Relations (Iran, Russia, North Korea):

• McCain dominated this part. He had so much experience to fall back on and knowledge down to the minor details in this area that this was a blowout. Obama showed, much like he did on economic issues, his youth and lack of experience on this subject. Obama slipped in his talks about willing to sit face to face with the president of Iran and McCain didn't miss his opportunity to attack. McCain wins here.

My Final Verdict:

• One thing that was made absolutely clear in this debate was that currently, nothing is more important than the state of US economy. We've transitioned from being focused on War to Energy to now Domestic Economy. With the focus being on economy, I noticed two distinct changes. First, McCain lost his strength. His strength is war. He's lived through it and he knows it by heart. If this was year 2004, John McCain would be our president. No question. But war has taken a back seat to economy. Second, Obama (at least in this debate) could not emphasize the Democratic strong points of health care reform and alternative energy solutions. With "Cut Spending" being the main theme, he couldn't openly endorse programs that would require even more government spending. Both candidates lost their edge because of this and neither looked strong on the subject of economy. That is both discouraging and scary.
• However, I slightly favor Obama for one reason. It is because this is 2008 and not 2004. As inexperienced as he is, he is open to accepting new ideas and suggestions. He is surrounded by people who are more experienced and this has shaped him to stay flexible. When it came to foreign relations, he was too soft and passive. Clearly, he had not dealt with ignorant tyrants. But, this is 2008 and what that means is that we now have more foreign investments in US than at any other time in the history of this country. We've depended on it in the form of sovereignty funds to our exports exceeding imports. And to recover from this financial crisis, whenever that may be, I believe that we are going to require even more financial help from foreigners. Obama, by chance or by plan, will likely be passive enough to carry out a more peaceful war-free 4 years of presidency that will increase the likelyhood of us receiving foreign capital injections.
• Therefore, after debate #1, I am voting for Barack Obama.